The present invention relates to hermetic terminal structural assemblies and more particularly to hermetic terminal assemblies which maximize over-surface distance.
In the hermetic terminal assembly art, a number of construction arrangements have been utilized to prevent conductive pins, which pins serve to conduct current to isolated drive sources such as drive motors, disposed in hermetically sealed compressor housing shells, from electrically shorting to surrounding electrically conductive areas such as the aforementioned housing shells of compressors. These past arrangements have included surrounding conductive pins with insulated over-surface collars or sleeves, such as the insulating extended sleeve arrangement 23 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,433, issued to B. Bowsky, et al. on Apr. 22, 1986 and the sleeve arrangement 17 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,015, issued to F. Dieter Paterek, et al. On Nov. 28, 1995. These two aforementioned patents were further concerned with conductive pin fusing and with pin chemistry, respectively, attention being particularly directed to the aperture 38 of flattened neck portion 37 of pin 17 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,333 and to the relative coefficients of expansion and softening point temperatures in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,015. A still somewhat different arrangement to minimize electrical shorting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,973, issued to T. Itameri-Kinter et al. on Jan. 15, 1991, wherein an electrically insulated cap member along with an electrically insulative adhesive provides an over-surface between a conductive pin and a metallic body member with gaps being provided between the cap and metallic body member and the pin and cap member allegedly to protect the over-surface from contaminants and possible unwanted current paths.
In accordance with the present invention, a novel and unique hermetic terminal structure is provided which utilizes in part some of the features of past terminals and at the same time recognizes and avoids a number of previous structural limitations and problems, the present invention providing a unique and unobvious over-surface and pin construction for hermetic terminal assemblies which minimizes the possibilities of electrical shorting and, at the same time, which is straightforward and economical in manufacture, assembly and maintenance, requiring a minimum of operating steps and parts in manufacture, assembly and maintenance.
Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein.